Visiting US college choir unites
Bellville church echoed with Xhosa anthem and songs in a multitude of languages
THE Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum from Massachusetts in the US recently put on a one-ofa-kind performance at the altar of St John’s Anglican Church in Bellville, singing Xhosa anthem Yhini Socialism, which had united the EFF and the ANC in Parliament during the swearing in of MPs.
Made possible by the Centre for Performing Arts (CPA) at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and under the guidance of resident conductor Jonathan Mott, the choir had spent 12 hours a day rehearsing songs in a multitude of languages they had never heard before, including, Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho and Setswana.
The diverse academic choir sang to a full church, with a gift to the parish of a final performance of their South African tour.
Henriette Weber, director of the CPA, said that since its inception community engagement had remained a key focus of the centre.
“The CPA at UWC opened in 2005 as a platform for the performing arts on campus. Since then community engagement remains a focus, with the aim of providing quality music education for community music practitioners who lacked access in the past.
“The link with Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum has come via Matlakala Bopape, and provides a platform in the community to see a university choir of this calibre perform,” Weber said.
The event last Thursday night was opened by Father Fred Hendricks from St John’s Anglican Church.
Soon after the Vocal Unity Ensemble, a local choir led by Jeremy Quickfall, performed.
“The experience was wonderful. The audience was warm and welcoming,” said Quickfall.
Bopape said: “It’s been priceless to work with these students. They sing like they really understand what they’re singing – such a pleasure.”
For Mott, the phrase that encapsulated their South African trip for the choir was “learning how to learn”.
He said they had got into the “directness they had with the music” and with the expression and the joy that was within the music.
The event ended with the St John’s parish singing a hymn in gratitude for the performance.